Richmond’s always been a great city for music, and that didn’t change one iota in 2018. If anything, it became a bit overwhelming — indeed, even the most comprehensively-minded local music nerd was likely to overlook a few things. While putting this list together, I found a few that I overlooked myself — and I’m sure you will as well.

This list features our best shot at the most essential and noteworthy albums that our city birthed this year, from any and all genres. Since so many different genres and scenes are thriving in this town, we had to include 40 just to feel like we weren’t leaving anything crucial out. And let’s be real — we probably still didn’t catch everything. The best advice we could possibly give you about following this town’s vibrant musical community is this: always dig deeper. Your new favorite record might be right around the corner.

These 40 albums are a good place to start. Yesterday, we presented the first 20, and we follow up today with the remaining 20 — in alphabetical order by artist name, so it doesn’t seem like we’re playing favorites. Happy listening!

Elizabeth Owens – Coming Of Age (Grimalkin)
This young singer-songwriter has avoided the strict confines of genre on their first album, instead dancing along the invisible borders between a variety of sounds. Lushly-strummed acoustic guitars and haunting vocals center these compositions, even as a variety of both conventional and unconventional instruments form an intricate, multi-layered background. Psychedelic folk in the original, late 60s sense — think Incredible String Band or Pentangle — is a good touchstone, though a better, more recognizable one is hinted at by the song entitled “Ode to Joni.” Yeah, you know what’s up.

Piranha Rama – Piranha Rama (Trrrash)
Piranha Rama is a band full of Richmond underground rock all-stars that took the local scene by storm in 2018. Featuring members who’ve performed with a wide variety of local ensembles and played a wide variety of musical styles, Piranha Rama’s sound is apropos, capturing as it does both the rollicking rock n’ roll spirit that is this band’s bedrock and the wide variety of influences that takes this album in many different directions from song to song. The results are always catchy and fun, even if the album’s overall feel is more like that of a great mixtape made by a crate-digging friend than you’d expect from a singularly driven band. The more voices, the merrier.

Trey Pollard – Antiphone (Spacebomb)
I admit I never would have expected this in the year 2018, but it has in fact come to pass. Trey Pollard, best known as the in-house arranger for Spacebomb Records, has released an album of classical chamber music. The selections found within are the sorts of things typically referred to as “pieces” rather than songs, and are mostly performed by four to eight-piece string ensembles (sometimes accompanied by a piano). Pollard, who acts as composer and conductor here, has created a stunning collection of memorable moments that feel like a score for a film — one that’s playing in your mind as you listen. Close your eyes and let it overtake you.

Natalie Prass – The Future And The Past (ATO)
Natalie Prass had been the fledgling Spacebomb label’s obvious breakout star thus far — along, of course, with label founder Matthew E. White. For her second LP, Prass signed with ATO and moved beyond the traditional soul-R&B feel of the Spacebomb house band, getting into deeper electronic grooves that seem to arise directly out of the pre-New Jack Swing sound of 80s greats like Cameo or Kool & The Gang. When she croons overtop of these, she’s got a real retro-diva sound, like a young Janet Jackson. Who can resist that?

PT & Fan Ran – Airtight (Ear Tite) (Gritty City)
The Gritty City roster of champion rhyme-spitters is deep, and each passing year seems to make that clearer, as new albums bring us strong statements of purpose from previously unheard names. This year it’s PT, which stands for Perfect Timing, who jumped out in a big way. Airtight is a full-length collaboration with Gritty City production mainstay Fan Ran, and the hard-hitting beats he brings match up perfectly with PT’s strong flow and aggressive approach to the mic. If you miss the days when RZA was producing a different Wu-Tang solo album every couple months and they all ruled, this one’s for you.

Recluse Raccoon – Recluse Raccoon (recluseraccoon.bandcamp.com)
This band features a rotating selection of local musicians, but Timmy Peele is the true raccoon hiding reclusively behind the name. For this debut full-length, it’s Mr. Peele who lays down vast majority of instruments for the dozen compositions he treats us to. There is at times a decided Animal Collective vibe in the thick vocal harmonies and ringing piano notes, though at other moments he comes closer to straddling that invisible line where the mellowest math-rock meets the most far out of the psychedelic jam sounds. Expect the unexpected — it’s more fun that way.

Roy Batty – Roy Batty (roybattyband.bandcamp.com)
This one just dropped a couple weeks ago, but it demands a place on our radar simply by virtue of the many awesome bands the members have been part of in the past. Specifically, this is frontwoman Lindsey Spurrier’s first return to full-time action after the demise of Hot Dolphin, and I think I’m far from the only one who felt that band ended before their time. Roy Batty has a heavier sound that Hot Dolphin, due to the fact that Spurrier is backed here by metal dudes rather than garage-punk types, but the frantic energy and aggressive spirit remain undiminished. And thank god for that.

Serqet – Oleander (Vinyl Conflict)
This two-song EP constitutes the first release from a local band who’ve been getting some attention on the whole DIY punk scene. I hear kids who are nerdy about that style of music call it “peace-punk” but if you ask me, it’s more along the lines of old-school goth. Maybe a bit Siouxsie and The Banshees, plus a bit of Submission Hold, and even some strong melodies on the B-side that get more into pre-shoegaze UK indie sounds. If you’re looking for something that can simultaneously please fans of Flux of Pink Indians, Sisters Of Mercy, and House Of Love, you’ve hit paydirt with this one.

Shadow Age – Shadow Age (Play Alone)
This trio unfortunately took an indefinite hiatus not long after this album was released, but we can at least be thankful that they left behind such an excellent document of their creativity. Bandleader Aaron Tyree has obviously been influenced by the saddest goth boys of the early 80s UK, and he brings the spirits of Robert Smith, Ian McCulloch, and Adrian Borland into the 21st century with flair and panache. Hazy keyboards, glittering guitar leads, quiet melancholy crooning, all set to an essential driving rhythm section. Turn on the fog machine.

South Hill Banks – No Time For A Breakdown (southhillbanks.com)
This RVA bluegrass band has really cemented a place for themselves on the local music scene over the past year, and No Time For A Breakdown is just part of that — you may also have caught onto their year-long residency at The Camel, or the bluegrass festival they threw over at The Broadberry last month. But it’s this album that’ll give you the best taste of what South Hill Banks have to offer, spotlighting their 21st century take on bluegrass with some excellent melodic songcraft. Of course, they still know how to get down with a traditional speedy instrumental, and their choice to feature electric instruments in the band doesn’t get in the way at all.

Spooky Cool – Every Thing Ever (Citrus City)
Spooky Cool spent the first few years of their existence being the RVA scene’s best-kept secret, staying off social media and restricting access to their music to those who actually came to see them live. Their choice to live like a pre-internet band in the post-internet era paid off in a big way when they finally released their debut EP this year, and the whole world had a chance to hear the catchy indie-psych this quintet had spent the last few years cooking up. It was worth the wait — there are some seriously catchy tunes on this one, but those tunes also feature an unpredictable edge that only adds to their charm. Jam this one — we’ve waited long enough.

Sports Bar – Stranger In My Head (Mister Falcon)
Speaking of long-awaited releases, melodic garage-punk quartet Sports Bar have spent nearly a decade building up to this — a killer full-length full of shit-hot tunes that simultaneously bring the manic, distorted punk attack and highlight the flawless sense of melody that has made this group one of Richmond’s most enjoyable hidden discoveries since back in 2010. This one is a ton of fun, bringing us both angst-ridden singalongs like “Fried” and furious punk blasts like “Love Or Hate.” Get into it.

Suppression – Placebo Reality (Chaotic Noise Productions)
2018 was Suppression’s 26th year of existence, an existence that has seen them move from experimental power-violence to electronic noise to postpunk weirdness and now into the world of shit-fi grindcore madness — which really constitutes a return to the roots of bassist/vocalist Jason Hodges’ long-running project. On Placebo Reality, Hodges and drummer Ryan Parrish flail wildly through somewhere north of 70 songs in under half an hour, blowing your hair back with distorted vocals, hyperdrive tempos, and distorted bass rage. A palate-cleanser of the most confrontational sort, this one will erase all your momentary cares in the face of world-ending chaos. Exactly what we all need.

Marcus Tenney Quartet – Moment (American Paradox)
If you pay attention to music in Richmond and beyond, chances are you’ve heard of Marcus Tenney. A full-time member of the legendary No BS! Brass Band as well as soul-jazz quintet Butcher Brown and hip hop duo Tennison, he stays busy. For this album, he took the lead in a quartet featuring several other Richmond jazz luminaries, and created a collection that is grounded in the classic hard-bop sounds of half a century ago, but comes from a thoroughly modern worldview that helps bring jazz into the 21st century. But this album isn’t just an exhibition of instrumental talent — the mellow, melancholy mood evoked on Moment has a deep emotional resonance.

Toward Space – Gently With A Chainsaw (Cult 45)
This raw garage-rock trio has done quite a bit, considering their youth, and Gently With A Chainsaw fulfills the promise they were showing even when they were still playing house shows with foot-pedal drums. These days, their snotty punk rage has been tempered a bit by a power-pop approach to choruses, and the result makes for a number of pleasing singalong earworms on this album. Make no mistake, though, these juvenile delinquents are still ready with a switchblade if anyone messes with ’em — but have no fear. Underneath the snarling facade, they’ve got hearts of gold.

Madison Turner – A Comprehensive Guide To Burning Out (madisonturner.bandcamp.com)
Madison Turner grew up with the classic alternative rock of the 90s, and now that she’s made it out of her 20s she’s headed back to her roots with this, her fourth solo release. Backed by a talented group of musically-inclined friends, she’s created a powerful collection of songs that sound excellent and are catchy as hell. The lyrics, which delve deeply and sincerely into the album’s “burnout” theme, are witty and all-too-relatable, even as the songs keep you singing along all day long. “I don’t know why I’m so sca-aa-ared to reach out to my friends!” So real.

Unmaker – Firmament (Seeing Red)
This quintet shares a few members with local blackened-thrash combo Occultist, but don’t let that fool you — Unmaker have quite a bit to offer in their own right. They distinguish themselves from the metallic pack thanks to Aaron Mitchell’s arresting vocals, which carry an urgency that makes them impossible to ignore. But the rest of the band has a powerful sound of their own, simultaneously exploring the gothic end of the postpunk spectrum while retaining a powerful, heavy rhythm and sticking to an energetic tempo. Fans of Killing Joke will find a lot to like here, but really, everyone should.

Windhand – Eternal Return (Relapse)
Local doom combo Windhand has always been witchy, but they’ve taken it to a new level on their fourth album (and first with only one guitarist), Eternal Return. The psychedelic aspects of their sound are cranked up here, and even as you can hear those low-end rumbles that make these guys a total headcrush live, the album’s production opens up another layer of their sound — one in which vocalist Dorthia Cottrell’s haunting voice is the star of the show, bringing a heaviness of emotion that more than matches the rest of the band’s heaviness of groove. Kill the lights and light a candle.

Womajich Dialyseiz – Live In RVA (Grimalkin)
This improvisational collective brings together a shifting group of “women, femmes, and gender non-conforming people” from around the Richmond scene to create uncategorizable experimental music. The results, documented here on recordings from four different live performances, are ambient and multi-layered, featuring percussion, voices, and a variety of melodies, many of which tend toward the unsettling. Maybe not something you should put on late at night when you are alone, but certainly an important element of the Richmond scene in 2018. Lend an ear.

Young Scum – Young Scum (Citrus City)
I doubt any of the young people in this city’s indie music scene are particularly intending to hark back to the early 90s heyday of Sarah Records and the indie-pop movement that label inspired, but regardless of intent, Young Scum have landed right in that wheelhouse. If you loved Heavenly or The Field Mice, you’re going to find a lot to love here, from Chris Smith’s dulcet vocal tones, which wash over you like a cooling mist, or the glittering layers of undistorted guitar strums laid down by Smith and Ben Medcalf. There are brief moments of tense distortion hovering subtly in the mix, but for the most part this mini-LP is pure indie-pop bliss.

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Wow, we’re done! And of course, as soon as I got this list finished, I realized I’d left out the Candy LP and the Boygenius EP, so go check those out too. What can I say? There was no way I was gonna think of everything.

FEATURED SHOWSaturday, August 25, 11 AMVinyl Conflict X Rest In Pieces Customer Appreciation Day, feat. BIB, Nickelus F, Nosebleed, Slump, Deviant, Sinister Purpose, Benderheads @ Vinyl Conflict/RIP parking lot (324 S. Pine St) – Free!
It happens once a year, lasts all day, and is hot as hell. Sure enough, I am talking about the Vinyl Conflict Customer Appreciation Day, a once-a-year all-day outdoor party thrown by Oregon Hill’s best punk rock record store, Vinyl Conflict. This year sees them joining forces with neighboring oddity shop Rest In Pieces to come together in their joint parking lot and have the loudest block party you’ve been to all year. It also sees us in the midst of a relatively cool August by RVA standards, so with a forecast of partly cloudy skies and a high of 82 degrees, you may not have to worry as much about overheating as you usually do.

Not that high temperatures are ever an excuse to keep you away from this annual extravaganza. You’ll also do well to get an early start — things kick off with sidewalk sales at both shops starting at 10 AM, so show up early and hit the racks before all the good stuff gets cherry-picked. Then get ready for a nonstop thrill ride of killer music lasting until the evening hours. The bill will bring us a smorgasbord of killer punk, hardcore, and hip hop, enough to keep the mosh pit swirling all day. Plus, there’ll be food aplenty, provided by Cobra Burger and Go Go Vegan Go — so no matter your dietary requirements, you’ll be able to chow down! Stow your purchases in your car, grab some tasty treats, and get ready to mosh!

Headliners BIB will definitely get you moving — this Midwestern psychedelic sludge-core crew is apparently “egg punk” according to the internet, but don’t let memes stop you from jumping into the pit when they take the stage. They’ll rock your faces off, and so will local hip hop legend Nickelus F, who has been going higher and harder than ever in recent months, with his recent tour with Lil Ugly Mane and his incredible new album, Stuck — soon to be released on vinyl from Vinyl Conflict Records — lighting up hip hop heads from coast to coast. There’s a lot more hardcore and punk to enjoy on this bill, from the ripping rage of Nosebleed and the high-speed fury of Deviant to the rockin’ riffs of Sinister Purpose and the raw, noisy vibe of Benderheads. By 7 PM, you’re gonna be exhausted — but you’re sure to have a smile on your face.

Wednesday, August 22, 8 PMMulticult, Heads, Hex Machine, Oozing Meat, R-Complex @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I don’t know what’s been going on with midweek shows lately, but it seems like we’re in the midst of a steady run of absolutely incredible Wednesday night bangers. Maybe it’s just that it’s the summertime, and all the bands are using their vacation time to hit the road. Whatever’s up, I certainly can’t complain, because it’s brought us a ton of incredible entertainment in the middle of the week lately. The run will continue tonight at Strange Matter with a double-headlining show by touring partners Multicult and Heads.

Multicult are from right up the road in Baltimore, and they’ll be bringing us some incredible 90s- throwback noisecore, sure to evoke positive memories of past DMV-area greats like Circus Lupus and Bluetip. Signed to Learning Curve and featuring former members of Triac and Fight Amp, this group is ready, willing, and able to prove their mettle/metal to all comers. Touring partners Heads come all the way from Berlin to deliver some similarly heavy sounds, though with a strong dose of postpunk darkness and gothic cool stirred into the mix — as displayed on their incredible new album, Collider, released earlier this year. These two excellent groups will be joined by a wealth of excellent Richmond-based acts, from the long-running noise-rock awesomeness of Hex Machine to the brilliantly fucked lo-fi grind mess of Oozing Meat and the harsh electronic fuzz of R-Complex. You’ll probably be going in late on Thursday morning, but it’ll be worth it.

Thursday, August 23, 8 PMHigh Command, Left Cross, Enforced, Destruct @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s getting heavy in here. Thursday night brings us to Strange Matter once again, this time for a show presented by Terror Assault, a promotional group I’m not familiar with (though they are assuredly NOT involved with Dragon Ball Super CCG). The headliners this time around will be Massachusetts headbangers High Command, whose recent 7 inch from Haftvad Records, The Primordial Void, shows them to have some incredible thrash chops and a decidedly dark feel that goes incredibly well with their high-speed riffage. If you’re thinking Possessed, you’re on the right track.

High Command may sound like a thrash metal band straight out of the legendary Metal Massacre comps of the mid-80s, but I’m honestly not sure if they’re a metal or a hardcore band. I say this because they’re joined on this bill by three different ultra-heavy local bands, all of which are at least hardcore-adjacent. The most noteworthy of the three is, of course, Left Cross, who devastated us all late last year with the release of their excellent slab of ultra-heavy thrash, Chaos Ascension. Less established RVA groups Enforced and Destruct tread similar territory, though Enforced lands closer to a post-NYHC crossover sound that simultaneously reminds me of Judge’s Bringin’ It Down and Agnostic Front’s Cause For Alarm. Meanwhile, Destruct sound almost like the more metallic takes on D-beat issued in the early 90s by groups like Destroy and Disrupt. In the end, it doesn’t matter whether any of these bands lie on the hardcore or metal side of the fence — headbangers and circle-pit starters from all around the metropolitan area are equally likely to love every single band on this bill. Don’t sweat the genre, just throw on your denim vest and show up.

Friday, August 24, 7 PMBoy Harsher, Void Vision, Sacramence, Child Of Night @ Gallery 5 – $15 (order tickets HERE)
It’s undoubtedly clear to all with a more than cursory knowledge of each shop that Vinyl Conflict has taken the lead on coordinating bands for the VCxRIP Customer Appreciation Day show discussed earlier. However, just because Rest In Pieces aren’t as directly involved in bringing music to RVA doesn’t mean that the folks at Richmond’s leading oddity shop aren’t ready, willing, and able to curate a powerful musical lineup on their own behalf. And this Customer Appreciation Day show at Gallery 5 on Friday night is Rest In Pieces’ time to shine.

I must say, though, “shine” seems like entirely the wrong word for a lineup like the one they’re bringing us. Headlining the affair is Boy Harsher, a coldwave duo with a solid grasp on the electronic sound that brings postpunk weirdos and goth rivetheads together to pogo grimly while wearing sunglasses inside at night. Their excellent Lesser Man EP can turn any bright suburban bedroom into a darkened Berlin dance floor — so imagine what they’ll be able to do with Gallery 5. Philly electro-goth group Void Vision has a similarly dark and hypnotic sound to offer, while Ohio’s Children Of Night adds a bit of a Teutonic industrial resonance to their take on the sound. Local openers Sacramence introduce a bit more of a electro-dance element to the evening, and show that the locals can bring it just as well as the out-of-town bands. This is a sound that deserves to be heard under cover of darkness — I can’t imagine any of these bands trying to perform under the Oregon Hill sun on Saturday afternoon — so be sure to start your weekend at Gallery 5 Friday night, and get the full Customer Appreciation Day experience.

Saturday, August 25, 9 PMTrunk, Petrichor, Roy Batty @ Wonderland – $?
I love it when things work out so that I can advocate for a weekend doubleheader — a situation in which the featured show and the other show for that same day are happening at such different times that anyone could easily go to both. Such is the case with this Saturday’s festivities; the last band at Vinyl Conflict’s Customer Appreciation Day will finish hours before the first band starts up at Wonderland that night. You can totally go to both — and you should, if you have the energy. Especially since the Wonderland show will give you an opportunity to see Trunk.

Trunk are a Pennsylvania trio that calls themselves “hippie death metal” and sound more to me like the excellent early works of Eyehategod and Cavity crossed with the downcast Southern grooves of bands like Buzzoven and Sourvein. Their self-titled EP, released last fall, is a certified banger from beginning to end, and you can expect these songs to bowl you over when this band hits Wonderland’s stage. Local support comes from Petrichor and Roy Batty; the former has a sort of psychedelic doom feel, simultaneously melodic and crushing, while the latter hits you with some energetic rock n’ roll, featuring an undeniably heavy bottom end that’ll make this one a surprising hit with metalheads. Clear your schedule for this Saturday — you’ve got a lot of rocking to do.

Sunday, August 26, 7 PMTiny Stills, Get Married, WISH, Tyler Meacham @ The Camel – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Take heart, emo kids — Tiny Stills knows sometimes it can get difficult just to get through the day. And they’re here to help, as they demonstrate with the assured power-pop sound they deliver on latest LP Laughing Into The Void. This LA group has a definite 90s throwback feel, but that’s not to say that their sound is predictable; they’re just as likely to channel The Anniversary as they are to remind you about forgotten 90s acts like That Dog and Fuzzy. And the heartfelt delivery makes it all that much easier to connect with. As their bandcamp page says, “Even the worst days have a silver lining. You’re not alone.”

Tiny Stills are on a mission to make you smile, and on Sunday night they’ll succeed with flying colors — and so will tour partners Get Married. There’s a decidedly more punky feel to this California crew’s sound; just-released LP Songs For The Sleepless lands somewhere between early Jawbreaker and the best work by Reggie and the Full Effect. The result is a surefire dance-party starter and a blast of sunny energy that’ll keep your smile at full strength throughout their set. Local newcomers WISH will bring a dose of shoegaze to this musical evening, though their version of that rather nebulously-defined genre is closer to Hum than My Bloody Valentine (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Singer-songwriter Tyler Meacham will open up with a set of charming folk-pop songs with a strong emotional resonance that’s sure to connect with all the emo kids coming out for this one. So show up, and find a reason to smile — god knows we all need one.

Monday, August 27, 8 PMT-Rextasy, Piranha Rama, Lawndry, Big No @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
If you’re happy after Sunday night at The Camel, rest assured Monday night at Strange Matter will NOT bring you down. Brooklyn’s T-Rextasy is coming to town, and while the title of their 2016 LP, Jurassic Punk, might make you think you’re in for some serious “chain punk” action, the truth is far less predictable — and more fun. T-Rextasy are a jangly power-pop group that embrace the link between girl groups and garage rock most strongly illustrated by the Shangri-La’s, but they add an undeniable dose of sunny melodies and tongue-in-cheek fun that’ll make their Monday night set at Strange Matter the perfect opportunity for bopping around with a big grin on your face.

And rest assured, the other bands on the bill will make you smile as well, if for no other reason than the sheer fact of their talent. Nashville’s Lawndry are the other out-of-town act playing this one, and their psychedelic folk-pop tunes show a wide scope of influences coming together in intriguing new ways; the fact that the group covered Lee Hazelwood, Scott Walker, and Animal Collective on their most recent EP certainly tells you something. Swiftly-rising local heroes Piranha Rama carry on the excellent momentum generated by last month’s self-titled debut LP, giving us another heaping helping of their twangy surf-psych-rock n’ roll melange. Meanwhile, hazy psych groove merchants Big No get things started with a big bang. This one’s gonna be a wall-to-wall delight.

Tuesday, August 28, 9 PMSissy Spacek, Suppression, Taciturnal @ Sediment Arts – $9
Just to get this out of the way up front: no, this show has nothing to do with actress and Virginia resident Sissy Spacek — this is another thing entirely. Sissy Spacek, the band, is made up of two members: bass player/electronic noise purveyor John Wiese (best known for his involvement in Bastard Noise) and drummer Charlie Mumma (of Sewer System, Bloody Phoenix, and at least a dozen other projects). The two have been working together for a couple of decades now, and have churned out an unbelievable 30 albums of blurry hyperspeed grind/noise violence. Their latest, Ways Of Confusion, was released last month on Nuclear War Now Records and blows through close to 40 songs in about half as many minutes. As musical extremes go, you don’t get much harsher than this.

And then there’s Suppression, another bass/drum grind project with a two-decade history. Bassist/vocalist Jason Hodges (Bermuda Triangles, Amoeba Men) and drummer Ryan Parrish (Iron Reagan, Darkest Hour) have been working together for about that long, but 2018 is nonetheless a milestone year for this duo: the year they release their first full-length LP in nearly a decade. Placebo Reality was released in May on their own label, Chaotic Noise Productions, and sees the group, which had gotten much closer to a bizarro form of noise-rock at one point, returning to their filthy, violent grindcore roots with something like 73 songs (assuming I didn’t lose count), again in about half as many minutes. These two groups are clearly made for each other. Local experimental project Taciturnal will get the harshness going with their opening set. Bring earplugs for this one.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Thursday, August 23, 6 PMBelmont, Such Gold, Southpaw, Invaluable, Boxford @ 37th And Zen – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Remember what I said earlier about how great Wednesday nights have been for live music in RVA lately? Down in the Hampton Roads area, it seems like Thursday nights are the sure-fire winners — I’ve found myself sending y’all down 64 East on Thursday nights pretty much every week since we started doing these bonus HR picks. I’m curious to see whether the trend continues. But before I worry about all that, I’m very excited to point out that Belmont and Such Gold are hitting 37th And Zen tomorrow night, and you’d be well advised to gas up the vehicle in preparation.

This is especially true if you’re a fan of ultra-catchy, emotionally-infused pop-punk — and god, who isn’t? Belmont’s 2016 EP, Between You & Me, is a rock-solid collection of excellent tunes to get your blood flowing and your heart pumping, and their two post-EP singles, “Water Weight” and “Step Aside,” are even better. Fans of everything from Title Fight to Knuckle Puck are sure to enjoy the hell out of this band’s set. Such Gold should need very little introduction to fans of this style; after all, they’ve been plying their poppy, energetic take on that whole “easycore” microgenre of a decade or so ago since… well, a decade or so ago. Last year’s Deep In A Hole EP was their first new material in a few years, and showed that they’ve very much still got it — and believe it or not, a hint of introspective maturity creeps in there at a few points as well. Both of these bands are sure to thrill, and with Michigan’s Southpaw and locals Invaluable and Boxford opening up, this bill is sure to be a direct hit from top to bottom. Get stoked!

Saturday, August 25, 5 PMBHRex Fest 3, feat. Ancient Torture Techniques, Bandit, Bruised Ego, Primitive Impulses, No/Mas, Constituents, Uncle Buck, Tomb Warden, War Bonds, Sex Dagger @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $10
Wow, some serious shreddage happening on Saturday night in Norfolk. Brain Hemorrhage Records, purveyors of fine grinding noise from Tidewater and beyond, are holding their third annual one-day fest at Charlie’s this Saturday night, and anyone who found the Sissy Spacek/Suppression double bill above intriguing should definitely have this show on their radar. At the top of the bill is an always-delightful battle set, in which bands set up at the same time and trade songs back and forth. In battle this evening will be Ancient Torture Techniques, who veteran followers of VA grind will remember for their split with RVA’s own Street Pizza, and current Philadelphia grind faves Bandit. This is sure to be a wall of power-violence insanity, and a treat for those who’ve missed ATT over their past few years of decreased activity.

There’s a lot more grind to find elsewhere on this bill; most noteworthy outside the battle set is sure to be a set from Primitive Impulses, a pre-Ancient Torture Techniques duo that returns for their first live performance in six years. Make sure you’re there for this one! There are a ton of other highlights that await you as well. Baltimore’s Bruised Ego will blaze through a couple dozen or so numbers in less time than you thought possible; DC’s No/Mas will deliver their dark, filthy take on crust/grind; Baltimore’s Uncle Buck have a definite Spazz resemblance that’s sure to delight the power-violence fan massive; VA Beach’s War Bonds go for some tough, old-school hardcore sounds with some surprisingly fast parts mixed in there. And there’s a whole bunch more in store for ya, all for the low low price of 10 bucks! You blastbeat freaks would really be blowing it if you missed this one.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

FEATURED SHOWThursday, August 16, 8 PMBig Freedia, Jafar Flowers, Sofia Lakis, DJ Skrt Skrt @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$22 day of show (order tickets HERE)
The Queen Of Bounce is back! Big Freedia is one of the foremost practitioners of the New Orleans-based style of music known as bounce, and she’s brought the sound worldwide with an LGBTQ-centered presentation and a collection of nuclear-powered dance floor bangers. She had a big moment here in RVA several years ago, getting huge crowds of people dancing everywhere in town, from The Hat Factory to Hadad’s Lake. It’s been a couple of years since Freedia has hit town, but she’s here to get booties shaking once again tomorrow night at The Broadberry. And if you’re not ready for the dance explosion that will take place once she hits the stage, you better start limbering up now.

It’s been four years since Freedia’s 2014 LP, Just Be Free, entered the world, and she’s been busy with a variety of projects, from a book and a Christmas album to working with Beyonce on “Formation,” but she’s back with 3rd Ward Bounce, a brand new EP that is her first major-label release. Her sound is still the sort of nonstop parade of banging beats that it’s always been, but new singles like “Rent” introduce a bit more dynamics into the mix — it no longer has quite the same sensory-overload quality of groundbreaking early singles like “Y’all Get Back Now.” But if you think Freedia’s music is going to be a less powerful inducement to getting on the floor and shaking that azz, you’ve got another think coming.

So get out your dancing shoes and get ready to lose control at the Broadberry tomorrow night. And get there on time, because the festivities will start well before Big Freedia takes the stage. The DJs of Ice Cream Support Group will be on hand to open things up; back-to-back sets from DJ Skrt Skrt, Sofia Lakis, and Jafar Flowers will get the party turned up to the maximum velocity, and do a great job of representing Richmond’s POC and LGBTQ communities in the bargain. This one’s gonna be epic; whether you’ve caught Big Freedia in the past or this is your first time encountering the reigning diva of bounce, you need to be at The Broadberry for this one.

Wednesday, August 15, 8 PMBand Of Horses, Bonny Doon @ The National – $27.50 in advance/$33 at the door (order tickets HERE)
I admit it — I’ve always had a soft spot for Band Of Horses. Their melodic indie sound, which mingles dashes of alt-country twang and folk atmosphere into a mix of incredibly tuneful choruses and subtly infectious guitar melodies, has always had the ability to connect on that same gorgeously emotional level that the best work of Wilco and My Morning Jacket hits. They’ve had a variety of lineup shifts since their excellent 2006 debut LP, Everything All The Time, but leader Ben Bridwell has kept things together smoothly throughout that time, and continued to explore intriguing new facets of the group’s sound on each new release.

Their latest LP, Why Are You OK, saw the band (of horses) get together with Grandaddy leader Jason Lytle to add a few more electronic ingredients to their sound, with fabulous results. But really, it’s just more of what we’ve come to expect; from recent singles like “Casual Party” to the old-school favorites like “Funeral,” Band Of Horses have plenty of excellent songs at their disposal. And now they come to The National to present fans who’ve stuck with them over the past decade with a collection of gorgeous tunes that are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face — even if you’re just discovering them now. Don’t miss the boat.

Thursday, August 16, 8 PMEnemy Soil, Suppression, Ampallang Infection, Disintegration @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a huge treat for grindcore lovers past, present, and future. Enemy Soil, one of the most brutal and prolific bands of the 90s grind/power-violence heyday, have returned to action once again. Founder and only constant member Richard Johnson, affectionately known as “the grindfather,” is taking some time away from his current project, Drugs Of Faith, to resurrect the band that originally brought him fame. And while Enemy Soil spent a considerable portion of their career existing as a drum-machine backed mostly-solo project, this reunion brings back several original members of the group to restore the full-band lineup that (in my humble opinion, at least) was responsible for their best stuff.

And see, this is where you should really get stoked. Because this lineup features some real heavyweights, including longtime Enemy Soil bassist Russ Mason, also of Reeking Cross; drummer Adam Perry, who longtime Richmonders will remember from his tenure with chaos masters PCP Roadblock; and vocalist JR Hayes of Pig Destroyer. From lightspeed grind slaughteramas to brutally heavy breakdowns, this group has it all, and this lineup is the perfect one to bring their outstanding sound to light once again. 90s grind survivors and certified hometown weirdos Suppression will join Enemy Soil on this gig to make it a double dose of legendary VA blastbeat insanity. Plus, we’ll get sets from DC drum-machine grind maniacs Ampallang Infection (um, ouch) and RVA thrash-grinders Disintegration, just to sweeten the pot. Outstanding.

Friday, August 17, 6 PMSports Bar, New Lions, Magnus Lush, Naked Pictures @ Hardywood – Free!
Ah, Sports Bar. You’ve gotta love these guys, no matter how slack they are. And make no mistake, Sports Bar are slackers. They’ve released three songs in the past four years. They’re still using a 2010 quote from this magazine in their promo material, even though we’ve written about them several times since then. They don’t even play shows very often anymore — this Friday’s Hardywood appearance is their first Richmond show since early spring. But all of that is 100 percent OK, because when they do get material out, it’s invariably outstanding. From “Get Da Body” to “I Was Going To Shave My Beard, But I Took A Nap Instead” to “Big Mac Yeah” to “Roll High, Lie Well (Kuriki),” their catalog is full of catchy classics that’ll stick in your head for weeks after you hear them.

And they’ve got a whole lot more of them for you in the coming months. Eight years after getting together, Sports Bar is finally about to release their debut LP, and while it doesn’t officially come out until October, the word is they have copies. Will you be able to score one for yourself at this show? I have no idea — but I do think it’s pretty highly likely you’ll at least hear a few tunes from it during Sports Bar’s set. And that’s worth coming out for right there — especially since this show, part of Hardywood’s ongoing “Fresh Can Friday” series, is absolutely free! You’ll get sets from excellent RVA bands New Lions, Magnus Lush, and Naked Pictures as well, so you really don’t have any reason not to go. Show up ready to sing along — you’ll have plenty of opportunities.

Saturday, August 18, 8 PMLazer/Wulf, Backwoods Payback, Dumb Waiter, The Bronzed Chorus @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This show promises to be a festival of the senses for those of you who appreciate serious musical craftmanship, but also like it heavy and energetic as hell. Lazer/Wulf, an Atlanta band that reincarnates the classic spirit of RVA’s own (mostly) instrumental math gods, Breadwinner, and mingles that complex crunch with the shred-tastic power of Coalesce or the Dillinger Escape Plan, are coming to town to bowl us all over — and simultaneously inspire us to marvel at the complexity of their instrumentation and arrangements. Indeed, their 2014 LP, The Beast Of Left And Right, was “written as a musical palindrome,” with songs at the beginning of the album constructed as musical mirror images of songs at the end.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: How the hell does that work? Honestly, you don’t have to worry about it. Regardless of the multi-layered elements of their song structures, it’s simplicity itself to just let yourself be rocked like crazy by the pulverizingly heavy riffs this band dispenses. And they’ll be joined on this bill by the equally heavy (though far less instrumental) PA sludge-rock group Backwoods Payback, who recently drafted Erik Larson (Alabama Thunderpussy/Avail/Parasytic) to hold down the drum kit, as well as releasing an excellent new LP, Future Slum, earlier this month. If you don’t know this band, you’ll need to check it out. The bill is rounded out by instrumental tech-math wildmen The Bronzed Chorus and local jazz-thrash freaks Dumb Waiter, and you can expect to get a massive kick out of all involved. It may have nothing to do with lawnmowers, but this one’s gonna be fun regardless.

Sunday, August 19, 9 PMCaptive, The Concussion Theory, Curtana, Dr. No @ The Camel – $7 (order tickets HERE)
The emo scene in this town is kind of a well-kept secret, and if you ask me, that’s a real shame. We can all help shed more light on some of the excellent bands plumbing the depths of this genre Sunday by heading out to The Camel, though. Captive might not strictly count as emo, at least by their own definition, and their ability to bust out some nearly prog-metal breakdowns — as demonstrated on 2016 concept album A Lost Dream; The Dreamer Lost — shows that if nothing else, they’re stretching the limits of the genre. But the way they always return to emotionally-resonant melodic choruses with a subtle underlying crunch, a la Moving Mountains or Hopesfall, shows where their roots lie.

Therefore, it makes a ton of sense to see them sharing a bill with The Concussion Theory, who’ve been making melodic yet passionate music here in Richmond for about half a decade now. Recently released EP Lament shows that they’ve only improved over the course of that time, as songs like “Simile Of Light” create the perfect mixture of driving rock riffs and emotionally-driven melodic choruses. They’re in completely different scenes, but these guys would probably appeal strongly to fans of fellow Richmonders Sea Of Storms (have these two bands really never played together?), and if you’re one of those, you should definitely make your way to the show this Sunday night. This all-local bill is rounded out by progressive instrumental guitar-slingers Curtana and Deftones-style metallic post-hardcore rockers Dr. No. Get familiar with it.

Monday, August 20, 7 PMAntiphons, Treadles, Jupiter Styles, missangelbird @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Keeping up with the indie scene in this town is a full-time job, but it’s a really FUN full-time job, and you’re sure to have a blast at the Camel this Monday night when Antiphons headlines a group of indie bands from both within and outside of RVA. Antiphons themselves are taking solo form on this show; recent facebook posts indicate that the full-band version is still getting up to speed after some lineup changes, which means leader Brian Dove will be going this one alone. Tunes like “Benadryl” and “Human Bruise” are sure to reveal entirely new dimensions in the solo format, and maybe we’ll even get a stripped-down preview of some new material. We can hope.

New Orleans’ Treadles add a powerful inducement for attendance to this show on their own behalf. This quartet’s latest EP, Bees Are Thieves Too, shows that they’ve grown ably from their origins as a solo project into an excellent example of a complicatedly melodic indie rock band with a ton of tricks up their sleeves. They’re joined on this tour by Chicago’s Jupiter Styles, who have a bit more of an alt-garage slacker rock sound, full of wry irony and melodic sincerity. Both bands have an infectious spirit that’s sure to have you bopping along. Local opener missangelbird will kick things off with another solo set full of jangly-rockin’ indie tunes. The whole thing’s gonna be a blast.

Tuesday, August 21, 11 PMThe Impalers, Iron Reagan, Lipid @ En Su Boca – $8
Oh my goodness, all you hardcore punks and punked-out hardcore kids better get out your boots for this one, because the Impalers are gonna inspire a powerful urge within you to put down the tacos and start the pit. That’s my way of saying… get the munchies out of the way early at this one. It shouldn’t be hard, since this rager of a gig doesn’t even get going til 11 PM, but I want to make sure to emphasize the point, because The Impalers’ 2017 LP, Cellar Dweller, is such a nonstop blast of outta-control USHC/punk n’ roll riffs that once it gets going, you’ll have to either jump on the ride or get the hell out of the way. We humbly suggest the former.

You’ll have to be careful to have some energy left for the Impalers set, too, because with Iron Reagan going on right before them, the velocity’s sure to be high. Their last LP, Crossover Ministry, demonstrated that this project of Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, and Suppression members has retained its masterful ability to bust out the exact sort of incredible mid-80s thrash-core that made the original wave of DRI and Suicidal Tendencies fans want to flip their hat-brims up and scribble slogans onto the underside. “IRON REAGAN” will fit under their with ease; grab your sharpie. This show will open up with a set from relative newcomers Lipid, who just released an EP full of snarky hardcore punk rage on Vinyl Conflict and are ready to drag the classic Dead Kennedys sound into the 21st century and kick off this show in proper fashion. Make sure you’re ready; this one’s gonna get nuts in a hurry.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Thursday, August 16, 8 PMEnsepulcher, Organ Trail, Redundant Protoplasm, Kryptcest @ Riffhouse Pub – $5
As if there isn’t enough happening in Richmond on Thursday night, there’s also this incredible show happening just down the highway at Chesapeake’s Riffhouse Pub. It’s an appropriate name for a venue that will host Fresno, CA death metal trio Ensepulcher, a crew of no-frills headbangers who keep the classic sound alive in fine fashion on their debut EP, No Sanctity In Death. Subsonic guttural vocals join rumbling drums and downtuned axes cranking out classic Florida-style riffs that is eminently appropriate from members of Fiend and Acephalix. If the sounds of Autopsy, Dismember, and Left Hand Path-era Entombed are music to your ears, you’ll need to gas up the hatchback for this one.

PA’s Organ Trail are also on this bill, and anyone who caught them at the Tired & Pissed showcase last week will know that they’re the kind of band who’ll fit perfectly on this bill. Not quite as full of low-end as Ensepulcher, this band’s sound is nonetheless deep, dark and brutal; what’s more, it’s got the sort of gore-drenched over-the-top lyrical madness going on that makes Exhumed such a fun listen. This one’s appointment listening, for sure. The bill also features Redundant Protoplasm, whose name reminds me of Ren chastising Stimpy and whose song titles remind me of early Carcass’s medical-textbook examinations. Sonically, these guys are pure lo-fi death-grind, while fellow VA Beach group Kryptcest are pure low-end brutality. This one will be loud.

Monday, August 20, 8 PMPusha T, Valee @ The NorVA – $37.50 in advance/$43 at the door (order tickets HERE)
It’s not like I need to tell you who Pusha T is. Even if you’re not aware of hip hop at all, his beef with Drake this year has been at the forefront of pop culture news, and you’re sure to have heard. But if you actually pay attention to hip hop, you know that this beef is way, way down the list of reasons why you should hit The NorVA on Monday to see Tidewater native Pusha T headlining a show in his old stomping grounds. For one thing, there’s the legacy of amazing material left behind by the Clipse, the groundbreaking duo that originally brought Pusha and his brother, No Malice, to fame.

Since the Clipse dissolved, though, Pusha’s continued to make incredible music, most recently on Daytona, which was produced by Kanye West as part of his five-part “Wyoming Sessions” earlier this year. From LP tracks like the excellent “If You Know, You Know” and spooky-sounding single “What Would Meek Do” to the fiery Drake-diss single “The Story Of Adidon,” Push’s lyrical style can’t be touched right now, and the top-quality production provided by Kanye and others results in some of the best hip hop being made right now. And it’s out of Virginia — so what better place to see it brought to life onstage? This show’s gonna be off the hook. Make sure you’re part of it.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

FEATURED SHOW Saturday, October 7, 7 PMIron Lung, Bastard Noise, Suppression, Intensive Care, Listless @ Strange Matter – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Power violence. I know a lot of you out there might be turned off by the term–sounds creepy and dangerous, right? But if you like seeing the sounds of metal, hardcore, punk, and even random offshoots like free jazz and experimental noise all pushed to their absolute limit at the same time by the same bands, then chances are you already know that power violence is the genre for you. Originally innovated by bands like Infest and Crossed Out, power violence incorporates the ridiculous speeds of grindcore, the brutal slowness of the sludgiest doom metal, and the freakout craziness of noise into a harsh conglomeration of atonal madness. If you need danceability and sweet melodic hooks from your music, well, I get that, but this may not be the night for you. However, if you can appreciate people pushing the limit of just how fast, heavy, and hectic music can get, you need to order your ticket now.

Iron Lung may not have been there at power violence’s dawn in the early 90s, but they’ve been the leaders of the genre for quite a while now, at least since the release of their 2004 debut, Life. Iron Lung. Death. This bassless two-piece tosses out killer riffs at hyperspeed, blending them with crushing breakdowns and tortured screams, along with a heaping helping of flat-out noise. The combination was refined to perfection on their third album, White Glove Test, but the four years since its release have seen almost no releases of new material–other than a lathe-cut limited edition EP earlier this year, which was limited to 100 and sold only at shows. Hopefully they’ll bring us a real new album soon, but until then, you’ll have to settle for getting your head knocked off at this show.

Bastard Noise actually were there at the early 90s dawn of power violence–indeed, leader Eric Wood coined the term. Originally known as Man Is The Bastard, the group had some lineup changes and moved in a more noise-weirdness direction after Y2K, at which time they adopted the Bastard Noise moniker. However, recent years have seen their original drummer rejoin the group, and things move back towards the sort of jazz-grind-sludge the band excelled at in its early years, so this show may more closely resemble Man Is The Bastard’s 1996 performance at the same venue than one might initially expect. This lineup is jam packed with additional entertainment, from legendary RVA power violence duo Suppression–who date back almost as long as Bastard Noise in their own right–to Canadian bass-drum sludge combo Intensive Care, who feature former members of mid-2000s power violence torchbearers Endless Blockade. Local queercore/blackened screamo upstarts Listless kick things off with righteous fury, so show up on time and be ready for some serious ear damage.

Wednesday, October 4, 8 PM Dr. No, Black Mountain Massacre, BLK LLC, Bodyshell @ Strange Matter – $5 (order tickets HERE)
Strange Matter’s Locals Only showcase series continues to be the best opportunity to hear about a bunch of new bands happening in the city, all at the same time. In this case, word has it that Black Mountain Massacre curated this lineup themselves, which is a really interesting way to go about it, and certainly not something I have a problem with. Letting bands introduce us to other new bands they hang with–this seems like a very solid plan. And in this case, it’s led to a good band introducing us to a bunch of other good bands, so that’s pretty much an ideal outcome.

The evening is headlined by the aforementioned Black Mountain Massacre, a new metal project with some clear roots in that whole Pantera/Eyehategod axis of NOLA metal. They’ll get your head banging for sure, while Dr. No bring a tangled mathy hardcore sound that evokes past RVA greats like Kepone and Breadwinner. I’m down with it. BLK LLC, a band that brings together bass-slinging lunatic Jon Sullivan (Kid Is Qual/Sau) and microphone rager Ryan Kent (Gritter, Murdersome) for some heavy-as-fuck guitar-free grooves, takes this opportunity to tear you a new one, and the whole evening starts with Bodyshell, a duo with a strange hybrid sound that at times feels more like atmospheric metal and at others is more like moody indie rock. Either way, it’s cool, as is every band on this bill. For $5, you really can’t go wrong.

Thursday, October 5, 8 PM Dirty Rice Pop-Up, feat. Noah-O X Fan Ran, Johnny Ciggs, God Goldin, Bonds, music by Billy When? @ Flora – $7
Noah-O may be seen as a one-hit wonder by some who count by MTV airplay. The truth is, though, he’s never stopped making great records, and over the past half decade or so, he’s built up quite a track record for himself. Moving across the city, putting together projects with a succession of the best beatmakers in town, and steadily improving his skills in the process sees him still improving after being a big name on the RVA hip hop scene for at least seven years now. Having previously worked with everyone from Taylor Whitelow and Cadillac Cat to the late, great Kleph Dollaz, his latest project sees him teaming up with Gritty City production mastermind Fan Ran, who’s been carving out quite the career in his own right with a prolific series of projects with the full range of Gritty City’s packed stable of heavy-hitting MCs.

What do you get when the two join together? Some good eating, that’s for sure. Dirty Rice hit the streets last month via Bandcamp, and this show is a celebration of its release out in the real world. Noah-O and Fan Ran will bring the crowd a fire-spitting performance of the album’s many bangers, while Gritty City majordomo Johnny Ciggs provides valuable support with a set of his own. God Goldin shows off his lyrical skills on the mic as well, and a newcomer named Bonds about whom I know very little (that’s not an easy name to google, I gotta tell ya) will contribute the opening set. The event will also feature a pop-up shop selling an exclusive Dirty Rice t-shirt only available at this event, which will surely be accompanied by a variety of Charged Up Entertainment and Gritty City Records merch. Bring a few bucks, because you’re gonna want to do some shopping. But make sure you run out to the car and stow your brand new t-shirt before the headlining set–dirty rice is tasty, but it’ll stain your clothes if you don’t eat carefully.

Friday, October 6, 8 PM ZAO, Sunndrug, Ostraca, Venomspitter @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Who knew ZAO would still be around in 2017? Especially considering that the last original member left the band over a decade ago. And who ever would have guessed that they would still be an excellent example of late 90s metalcore, somehow surviving at least a decade after anyone would have guessed they’d be relevant? Certainly not me, but the fact is, it’s happened, with their 2016 album The Well-Intentioned Virus showing that they’ve still got the spark that made classic albums Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest (1998) and The Funeral Of God (2004) so killer. Singer Daniel Weyandt and guitarists Russ Cogdell and Scott Mellinger are still in the fold from those days, too, so things really haven’t changed as much as one might fear. The mix of harsh screams, sludgy riffs, powerful breakdowns, and emotional drama that made Zao great is still in place.

Meanwhile, the openers for this bill mix VA bands with roots in the same era that spawned Zao and younger groups paying tribute to a crucial early influence. Sunndrug hails from VA Beach and features members of Spitfire and Norma Jean, two other bands from that same late-90s metalcore scene that spawned Zao. All of them had Christian content and associations at the time, and all of them seem to have grown beyond overt ties between music and religion in the years since, which is always nice to see (though let’s be real, if Jesus Christ gets mentioned from stage a time or two on this night, no one will be surprised. Just try to tune out for those parts). Ostraca may have been around in some form for over a decade now, but they’re spring chickens compared to Zao, and bring a newer, darker version of metalcore into the world–believe me, it’s a welcome one. Venomspitter are on much the same page as Ostraca, though they feature a more overt hardcore influence. And while they’re the newest band on this bill, some members played with bands (most notably Forefront) who opened for much earlier incarnations of Zao back in the pre-9/11 days when the world was young and full of hope. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Saturday, October 7, 6:30 PM Have Mercy, Boston Manor, Can’t Swim, A Will Away @ The Camel – $15 in advance/$17 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes in the course of writing this column I learn that there’s a significant discrepancy between what the world of the internet will tell you about a band and what your ears will tell you. For example, we have Have Mercy, a Baltimore band that is described online as “rock” and is, upon listening to any of their three albums, clearly better described by the phrase “emo as fuck.” I mean, granted, they aren’t as energetic as Taking Back Sunday, taking a more pensive approach to their midtempo riffs and lovelorn vocals, but I definitely hear more of Gates or Moving Mountains here than… I dunno, what’s rock in 2017? Of Mice And Men? Falling In Reverse? Is Nickelback still together?

Anyway, I should probably mention the fact that Have Mercy leader Brian Swindle purged and restructured the group’s entire lineup before the release of their latest album, Make The Best Of It. Despite what you may fear, though, the band hasn’t lost a step, and are still primed to get everyone in the crowd sighing as they bob back and forth to this band’s excellently emotional music. This tour sees Have Mercy joined by a trio of out-of-town bands, making this a local-free show. Pure Noise Records signees Boston Manor (who strangely hail not from the New England but the merrie old one across the pond) are the standouts, and make an excellent companion piece to Have Mercy with the songs from their 2016 debut LP, Be Nothing, having much in common with Have Mercy’s latest stuff. Can’t Swim, whose name makes me imagine a gimmick band that goes on stage in life jackets (they probably don’t actually do this), and A Will Away will round out the lineup here. Bring a sweater.

Sunday, October 8, 8 PM Necroscythe, Hoboknife, Voarm @ Strange Matter – $7
Not sure what happened to Necroscythe’s original tourmates, Hivelords, but frankly, I can’t bring myself to care about it. After all, our remaining headliners are a Philadelphia black metal project who have a song called “I Spit Upon The Cross Of Christ.” How awesome is that? Do you really need any more from these people? Well, if you do, I can tell you that they’ve got some classic double-time riffs and blasting drums, plus some terrifying throaty screams, all of which sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a pit inside a forest in the middle of the night. In other words, the perfect black metal sound. So yeah, let’s all start queueing up for this one now.

Two RVA metal projects with equally harsh styles are on the bill as openers, and while by now I’m pretty sure everyone who cares about local metal has already checked out Hoboknife, let me just alert the few of you who might still be sleeping on them so you wake the hell up. This band brings together the majority of the late, lamented La Mere Vipere to crank out some dark, heavy shredding that is more blackened thrash than outright black metal, but certainly should appeal to those on both sides of that divide. Voarm, on the other hand, is straight-up black metal, complete with full-on tin can production–one can imagine that their live presentation will have a heavier low end than their demo, but the blast beats, tremolo-picked riffs, and tortured vocal howls will stay intact. So yes, this will be a night of gruesome metal terror, missing headliner be damned. Show up.

Monday, October 9, 8 PM Neat Sweep, Foresterr, Railgun, Black Acid Ritual @ Strange Matter – $5
Another Locals Only show at Strange Matter in the same week? I know, isn’t it great? This one is coming from a completely different part of the scene than the previous one, which makes it just as valuable and yet completely unlike the one before. That always rules. Our headliners are Neat Sweep, the latest project from Cory Chubb (Sundials, Close Talker, Smoke Break, etc) and Max Gottesman (Gottem), and of course, the first song on their demo is about a Taco Bell date. Is the whole post-Haus Addy scene getting predictable? Maybe a little, but it’s all just so much fun… why complain about it?

And now for something completely different. Former Lawrence, KS residents Foresterr are also on this bill, and they’ve recently brought their intricately layered brand of shoegaze-y indie guitar to RVA. Get ready for precise melodies contrasted with fuzzy guitar haze to put a smile on your face–because I assure you, that’s what’s going to happen when this band starts to play. Railgun sounds like the name a metallic punk band would have, but in this case they’re a smooth, funky rock crew from here in town. Didn’t see that coming, did you? The fact that Black Acid Ritual are a crew of teenagers playing moshy metal riffs is a bit more predictable, but no less awesome. The whole night is sure to rule, really.

Tuesday, October 10, 8 PM Yawningman, We Are The Asteroid, Desert Altar, Zgomot @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Yawningman has returned to RVA, and it’s an event for all who love psychedelia, stoner desert metal, and generally weird outsider shit. For years, all I could tell you about Yawningman was that on their last album, Kyuss had covered a song from their demo. The song was great, but I didn’t hear any actual Yawningman recordings or learn much of anything about them until their first official studio album, 2005’s Rock Formations, was released. That album showed that, while this sun-baked psychedelic ensemble had influenced quite a few bands from that CA/AZ desert-rock axis, their sound was entirely their own, an instrumentally-driven groove machine full of moments that stood alongside the best of bands from Blue Cheer to Jane’s Addiction in its ability to launch mental explorations of the solar system.

So yeah, the hype is real, this band really does deserve all the great things that have been said about them in the press over the years, and if you haven’t picked up on their 30-year history as yet, this Tuesday’s Strange Matter performance is a perfect jumping-on point. Tourmates We Are The Asteroid offer some similarly freaky psychedelic exploration, and feature former Butthole Surfers bassist Nathan Calhoun–just so you know what sort of pedigree they’re working with. Local openers Desert Altar get on that whole Kyuss stoner groove vibe, while fellow locals Zgomot bring punk influence, an improvisational flair, and a foundation in Romanian literature to the stage in an unpredictable fusion of fascinatingly disparate elements. Nothing about this show is predictable, other than the fact that you’re sure to enjoy it.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [the rvamag address isn’t working for some reason, I haven’t had time to look into it! Bear with me]

FEATURED SHOW Friday, August 18, 8 PM Bad Magic, Big Huge, Candy Spots, Kid Claws @ Strange Matter – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Jet Trails Music is becoming a more powerful force in the local live music community by the week, and I for one am here for it! There are a whole bunch of booking agencies in this town who have a solid reputation in their respective genres, but JTM is straddling the line between indie and more jammed-out alt-rock with aplomb. I find that any show they do is generally a solid night out, and this rad Friday night lineup at Strange Matter is no exception. It came together pretty recently, at least if the release of the facebook event page is any indication, but I’m glad they were able to get this happening, and especially at Strange Matter, who’ve been the most consistent spot for rad live music here in RVA for a good decade at least.

Bad Magic comes back home to us after a short jaunt up the East Coast, taking their excellent sounds to the world. They’re still going strong from the power of their most recent release, Harsh Surrender, which came out on cassette from Trrrrash Records earlier this year. That’s a logical pairing, considering Trrrrash (I probably always put the wrong amount of R’s in this name) is owned by Bad Magic bassist Tim Falen. It’s frontwoman Julie Karr that provides the fuel making this band’s sound so distinctive and memorable, though. Her lyrics dig deep into tough times and hard feelings, which pair well with the group’s rumbling grunge jangle. The fact that a song on Harsh Surrender borrows lyrics from a Jason Molina song only further underlines the emotional territory this band is staking out.

Bad Magic definitely have a haunting effect on the listener, but NYC band Big Huge has a totally different feel, albeit one that sticks just as hard. Their tough, sassy power pop is full of catchy choruses and upbeat rhythms to get you dancing around with a big grin on your face. Bad Magic may be hometown heroes, but Big Huge is the best new discovery you’ll make at this show, for sure. The lineup this night is rounded out by two psych powerhouses from right here in VA; the relatively new Kid Claws, who hail from the DC suburbs and like to get hazy with the distortion but still now how to rock, and local up and comers The Candy Spots, who have a bit more of a garage-y vibe and can definitely get your feet moving.

Wednesday, August 16, 9 PM Decide Today, Prison Religion, R-Complex, With Sympathy @ Comm Room – $5 donation requested
My roommates have a poster for this band on the wall outside my room; it looks down on me every time I walk back from the bathroom. Its distinctive art and intense political agitprop made me curious about the band before I had any idea who they were. Now they’re coming to town and living up to all of my expectations. Honestly, when you live in a punk house, you tend to expect all the bands on your roommates’ posters to sound pretty similar. Rather than dishing out the sort of crusty, metallic punk that is the usual punkhouse poster fare, though, Decide Today devote their energies towards harsh programmed breakcore beats of the sort that got Atari Teenage Riot so much attention back in the late 90s. “Digital hardcore” was an appropriate genre hybrid for that band in their prime, and it’s also a really great way to describe what Decide Today are doing. And with songs like “Against White Supremacy,” “I Don’t Eat Flesh,” and “Strong Hearts Can’t Be Caged,” it’s clear this band has a purpose and a mission, and isn’t afraid to scream about it.

Local experimental hip hop project Prison Religion makes an excellent pairing with Decide Today, so it’s great to see them on this bill. The typical comparison points for hip hop groups making really harsh, noisy music tend to be B L A C K I E, or Death Grips, but Prison Religion have a significantly stranger and more intense sound than either of those projects. Expect powerful beats at the root of their music, but overtop of those beats, harsh screams and strange atonal noise are much more likely to appear than the funk-descended grooves and powerfully delivered raps you might expect from a hip hop group. It’s always nice to hear people doing something new with the form, though, especially when it’s this intense and politically informed. The evening’s program will be rounded out by industrial-noise project R-Complex and the more gothic industrial sounds of With Sympathy. Bring your earplugs for this one.

Thursday, August 17, 8 PM Ex Eye, Bermuda Triangles, Dumb Waiter @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Getting this event invitation was my first introduction to Ex Eye, and boy did I feel stupid for not having picked up on them before. Any project that brings together avant-garde saxophonist Colin Stetson, whose 2013 LP New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light was one of my favorites of that year, and drummer Greg Fox, whose work in the brilliant New York black metal group Liturgy has consistently blown me away, is something I should’ve been up on way before now. So hey, if these guys were on your radar before they were on mine, consider me duly embarrassed. For the rest of you, let’s cop a latepass together and head down to Strange Matter to experience the full force of this combo’s incredible talent.

In addition to Stetson and Fox, Ex Eye includes Chicago experimental guitarist Toby Summerfield and former Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog keyboardist Shahzad Ismaily, so the lineup is truly stacked. And the results they come up with are phenomenal on their self-titled debut, released a couple months ago on Relapse. Stetson’s incredible sax work takes center stage, but the outstanding drumming Fox showed off in Liturgy is very much present–complete with the occasional much-vaunted “burst beat”–and the riffs laid down by the band underneath all the dramatic instrumental fireworks are rock-solid fuel for full-on headbangs. With percussion-driven experimental postpunk veterans Bermuda Triangles and avant-jazz/metal instrumental quartet Dumb Waiter opening this evening up, it looks like this will be a night full of consistently mindblowing sound. Get ready.

Friday, August 18, 8 PM Venomspitter, Charmer, Accident Prone, High Priest, Van Hagar @ Comm Room – $5 donation requested
Sometimes a show doesn’t have to be a big huge important deal. Sometimes it’s just a good opportunity to hang out with your friends and rock out. In that spirit, Venomspitter singer Travis Downey is throwing a big ol’ rockin’ party over at Comm Room this Friday night to celebrate his birthday. Thankfully, his friends all seem to be in rad bands, just like he is. That’s always nice! Of course, anyone who has a band wants their band to play their birthday show (that’s sure how it always was with me), so you can expect a powerful set from Venomspitter on this evening. They’ve had some lineup shakeups over the last little while–Travis actually used to play guitar in the band, for one thing–but they’re still as hard-hitting and full of intense hardcore fury as ever, so don’t expect them to be mellowing or anything.

Along with Venomspitter, you can also expect a full-speed-ahead set from Charmer, who manage to both be hyperspeed power-violence and heavy-as-fuck hardcore, as they demonstrate on the recent preview of their soon-to-be-released split with Amara. These guys are gonna rip your face off at a thousand miles an hour and it’ll be the best road rash you’ve ever had in your life. High Priest are coming from much the same place as the previous two bands we’ve discussed, but with maybe a bit more A389-style D-beat crust in the mix. Accident Prone have some of that chaotic tech-blast metalcore thing going on that seems to have faded from the picture since Dillinger Escape Plan got all proggy–it’s nice to run into some pure exponents of that sick shit for a change. And of course, my lovely roommates in Van Hagar will be there to deliver you some furious grindcore that has no resemblance to 5150 (which is still an awesome album, don’t get me wrong). The show is a benefit for Sophie House, providing support to single mothers with young children, so in lieu of cash, donations of food and clothing will also be accepted. Come help out, then rock out!

Saturday, August 19, 7 PM Big Mama Shakes, Landon Elliott, Tigerman WOAH, Sid Kinglsey @ The Broadberry – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I will freely admit that I’m not the typical audience for an indie-inflected 21st century version of a Southern rock band. Therefore, it’s probably no surprise that I haven’t made it to a Big Mama Shakes show just yet. At the same time, every time I check this band out online, I find myself thinking that I should go ahead and take the plunge at some point. There’s no denying it–this band is a lot of fun. They’ve got some kickass catchy tunes that owe a good deal more to Exile-era Rolling Stones via Uncle Tupelo than they do to the Southern stuff from the 70s that kinda makes me cringe sometimes (although the truth is Drive-By Truckers have largely managed to rehabilitate even that full-on Skynyrd sound for me… but I digress).

Last year’s If I Try EP in particular grabs my attention. Uptempo rocker “Weight Of A Heavy Heart” definitely does it for me as a rather heavy-hearted girl myself. “Magnolia”‘s lovelorn midtempo sound, complete with horn accents, is evocative of moments we’ve all been through on late nights with too few people around. Big Mama Shakes have become a reliable crowd-drawer at the Broadberry in recent months, so too few people around is definitely not a worry you’ll have if you come check them out this Saturday night. Neither is hearing a bad song, because from what I can tell, this band doesn’t have any. And as an avowed metalhead, that’s saying something coming from me.

Sunday, August 20, 3 PM Vvuumm, HeadlessMantis, Recluse Raccoon, Paul Ivey @ Hardywood – Free!
Get to Hardywood early this Sunday afternoon if you wanna catch some of the best rockin’ sounds this city’ll be witness to this weekend. Because let me tell ya, this whole event is gonna be wrapping up by about 6 PM, and you don’t want to miss a minute of it. Our co-headliners, vvuumm and HeadlessMantis, are celebrating the release of their new split tape, TRRRASHCRYSTALRADIO (I copy-pasted this so it better be the right amount of R’s this time), which will contain live sets from each band recorded live on Paul Ivey’s WRIR show, Time Is Tight.

vvuumm has a spaced-out psychedelic sound with some punk energy underneath the surface, while HeadlessMantis mix gutbucket blues with raw garage-rock rage. Both bands are at their best in a live environment, so this tape is pretty much the ideal way to listen to them… other than going to this show, of course. You’ll also get opening sets from local stalwarts Recluse Raccoon and the man himself, Paul Ivey. This will be an entertaining afternoon from beginning to end, and with the admission price certainly being nice, and the refreshments on tap all around, you’re sure to have a lovely time. Don’t linger too long over brunch–you’ll have occasion to regret it.

Monday, August 21, 5 PM Decapitated, Thy Art Is Murder, Fallujah, Ghost Bath, Deathsinger @ The Canal Club – $20 in advance (order tickets HERE)
I feel like every time Polish death metal legends Decapitated come to town, I write in this column about how you should go see them. And I will rationalize this fact by saying that you should go see Decapitated every time they come to town! Having originally caught my attention back in the early 2000s with incredibly sick offerings like Nihility and Organic Hallucinosis, the band has remained a favorite for me for over a decade, despite the tragic loss of their founding drummer to an auto accident and a lengthy break afterwards (for understandable reasons). This year, they’re back again with their seventh album, Anticult, which is just as full of technically precise, brutally crushing death riffs as any of their previous molten slabs. They still shred hard, they still hit the sick breakdowns as hard as possible, they still get your head banging just as hard as ever… Decapitated have stayed consistent for a very long time now, and whether their evening of rage this Monday night at Canal Club would be your first or fifth time seeing them, you are still extremely well advised to make it out.

Decapitated are joined on this bill by quite a few other heavy hitters with challenging-to-decipher logos, most importantly Aussie deathcore pounders Thy Art Is Murder. Deathcore can get a bit monotonous in less-than-capable hands, but Thy Art Is Murder distinguish themselves from the pack with distinctive riffs and plentiful tempo shifts, saving the nosebleed-inducing downtuned breakdowns until they will have the most possible effect. The show will also feature some homegrown acts from the good ol’ US of A, including Fallujah, who one assumes picked their name to evoke the brutality of the Iraq war but actually tend to have somewhat of a proggy edge if anything. Then there’s Ghost Bath, the members of which are apparently some of the very few Americans still living in North Dakota. Fitting with that state’s frozen wastelands, they have some moody black metal touches to their oddly emotional shredding. These guys are honestly my sleeper pick for the whole opening slate. VA Beach’s Deathsinger gets things going well before the sun goes down, so head over as soon as you’re off work. You don’t wanna miss a minute.

Tuesday, August 22, 6 PM Eyehategod, Negative Approach, Suppression, Dead And Dreaming, Gritter @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I also feel like every time New Orleans sludge legends Eyehategod come to town I end up recommending in this column that you go see them, but honestly, that’s at least somewhat due to their tendency to bring incredible touring partners with them to town. That said, Eyehategod are certainly not to be taken for granted or skipped out early on, by any means. The band’s most recent self-titled album was the last to feature founding drummer Joey LaCaze, who passed away shortly after recording the album. However, Eyehategod has remained a solid live presence in the years since, and have proved as much in their last couple of Richmond appearances. They’re still the first name in bleak, swampy sludge metal, and if you care at all about the million doom metal bands who’ve enveloped the metal scene over the past decade, you really need to give some attention to the originators.

But yeah, those touring partners. Can you believe Eyehategod comes to us this year paired with hardcore legends Negative Approach? I mean, holy crap, right? As with Eyehategod singer Mike IX Williams, Negative Approach vocalist John Brannon has remained at the top of his game for decades now. Hell, if anything this dude is angrier and scarier than he was in the 80s. Other than a Sham 69 cover on a compilation, the band hasn’t released anything new since 2010 EP Friends Of No One, but hey, who really cares? We’re all going to hear “Nothing” and “Whatever I Do” anyway, and that’s what we’re gonna get. Quit the shit, start the pit! Incredibly long-running weirdo-grind duo Suppression will also be on this show, which is a sweet score even if they are local. With openers Dead And Dreaming and Gritter further representing the double-tough hardcore and downbeat swamp metal scenes of RVA, this show is jam-packed.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [the rvamag address isn’t working for some reason, I’m looking into it!]